Is beer sold at college football games? Here's where you can buy it during the 2023 season
There is no atmosphere in U.S. sports like college football, and in recent years, more and more schools have allowed fans to enjoy the hype with a beer in hand.
More than 10 years ago, it was rare to find alcohol being sold at a college football stadium, and those that did weren't Power 5 schools or only allowed alcohol to be sold in premium seating areas or suites – not allowing fans with regular tickets to get their hands on a cold one because rules were in place that prohibited general sales. There were also cases of some schools in the early 2000s selling beer stadium-wide but then reversing that policy.
In recent years, however, the NCAA and conferences have loosened rules and have allowed universities to sell alcohol, and several athletic departments have since made the jump to allow anyone in attendance to buy a drink. Now, there are only a handful of college football stadiums that don't serve alcohol, and one state where you won't find it at any FBS game.
Here is what to know about buying beer at college football games for the 2023 season:
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Where is beer sold at college football games in 2023?
Of the 133 FBS schools in 2023, 117 (88%) will sell alcohol this upcoming season. Three schools − Kentucky, Michigan State and Western Michigan − will be selling alcohol for the first time this season.
College football has seen a boom in alcohol sales in recent years, with the biggest jump occurring in 2019. Since the 2019 football season, 56 FBS schools have started selling alcohol. This applies to when alcohol was made available stadium-wide and not just in premium locations. Here are the schools that will sell alcohol throughout their stadiums this season in alphabetical order:
- Air Force
- Akron
- Alabama
- Appalachian State
- Arizona
- Arizona State
- Arkansas
- Arkansas State
- Ball State
- Baylor
- Boise State
- Boston College
- Bowling Green
- Buffalo
- Central Florida
- Central Michigan
- California
- Charlotte
- Cincinnati
- Coastal Carolina
- Colorado
- Colorado State
- Connecticut
- Duke
- Eastern Michigan
- East Carolina
- Florida International
- Florida
- Florida Atlantic
- Florida State
- Fresno State
- Georgia Southern
- Georgia State
- Georgia Tech
- Hawai'i
- Houston
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Jacksonville State
- James Madison
- Kansas
- Kansas State
- Kent State
- Kentucky
- Louisiana-Lafayette
- Louisiana-Monroe
- Louisiana Tech
- Louisville
- LSU
- Marshall
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Memphis
- Miami (Florida)
- Miami (Ohio)
- Michigan State
- Middle Tennessee
- Minnesota
- Mississippi State
- Missouri
- North Carolina
- North Texas
- Northern Illinois
- Navy
- N.C. State
- Nevada
- New Mexico
- New Mexico State
- Ohio
- Ohio State
- Oklahoma
- Oklahoma State
- Old Dominion
- Ole Miss
- Oregon
- Oregon State
- Penn State
- Pittsburgh
- Purdue
- Rice
- Rutgers
- Sam Houston
- San Diego State
- San Jose State
- SMU
- South Alabama
- South Carolina
- South Florida
- Southern California
- Southern Mississippi
- Syracuse
- TCU
- Temple
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Texas A&M
- Texas-El Paso
- Texas-San Antonio
- Texas State
- Texas Tech
- Toledo
- Troy
- Tulane
- Tulsa
- UAB
- UCLA
- UNLV
- Vanderbilt
- Virginia
- Virginia Tech
- Western Kentucky
- Western Michigan
- Wake Forest
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wyoming
What schools don't sell beer at college football games in 2023?
There are 16 schools that do not sell alcohol, including the two-time defending national champions. Georgia is one of the schools that sells alcohol in premium seating locations but not to general attendees at Sanford Stadium.
The University of Michigan is also surprisingly on this list. This is the first year that all public universities in the state are allowed to sell alcohol at football games after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a bill in July allowing alcohol sales at the state's 15 public universities' football, hockey and basketball games. While Michigan State has announced plans to sell alcohol in 2023, the Wolverines have yet to decide to sell booze in the "Big House."
Then there's the state of Utah; no FBS teams in the Beehive State can sell alcohol in football stadiums, as the state has some of the most strict liquor laws in this country. Here are the schools that will not sell alcohol for the 2023 season:
- Army
- Auburn
- BYU
- Clemson
- Georgia
- Iowa State
- Liberty
- Michigan
- Nebraska
- Northwestern
- Notre Dame
- Stanford
- Utah
- Utah State
- Washington State
- Wisconsin